{"id":5081,"date":"2025-02-20T10:02:41","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T10:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=5081"},"modified":"2025-02-20T10:02:41","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T10:02:41","slug":"how-to-cleat-a-dock-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=5081","title":{"rendered":"How to Cleat a Dock Line"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    How to Cleat a Dock Line<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    <!-- no image --><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>I used to work with a former tugboat captain who taught me many things, including how to properly cleat a line. Walking the docks at the marina where we worked, he\u2019d spot incorrectly cleated lines and retie them properly. Naturally, under most conditions, the different ways of cleating off\u2014such as simply doing lots of figure eights, or not starting with a turn around the base of the cleat, or even simply wrapping line around and around\u2014will hold in many situations. Still, because we have to cleat off some way anyway, we might as well be in the habit of doing it the best way we can. Here is that method, along with the\u00a0reasons for each element.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"wxuzj5efbz\" src=\"https:\/\/boatingmag.dragonforms.com\/wxuzj5efbz\" height=\"150\" width=\"100%\" style=\"border:0; width: 100%;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<section class=\"hydra-container\">\n<div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-1.jpg?resize=800%2C600&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Taking a turn around the base of the cleat\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-1.jpg 1014w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-1-768x576.jpg 768w\">                <\/div><figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Take a turn around the base of the cleat with the line.<\/span><br \/>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Jim Hatch<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Take a Turn Around the Base<\/h2>\n<p>Start by taking a turn around the base of the cleat with the line. This ensures that the load is spread evenly on all fasteners holding the cleat to the dock or boat. With respect to direction of pull on the line, take the line around the far horn first and then back under the closest horn. Now proceed to Step 2.<\/p>\n<section class=\"hydra-container\">\n<div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-2.jpg?resize=800%2C600&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Forming a figure eight\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-2.jpg 926w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-2-768x576.jpg 768w\">                <\/div><figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Form a figure eight.<\/span><br \/>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Jim Hatch<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Figure Eight<\/h2>\n<p>After taking the line round under both horns, cross the line from under the nearest horn diagonally over the top of the cleat and then under the horn farthest away. Next, bring the line from under the farthest horn back diagonally across the top of the cleat. When looked at from above, you have formed a figure eight. This ensures that you are spreading the load evenly across both horns of the cleat. Proceed to Step 3.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tip:<\/strong> Making multiple figure eights across the cleat doesn\u2019t make the tie more secure. What it does do is take up all the space on the cleat, preventing you or others from using the cleat for another line, a fender, a bait cart or other item. A single figure eight is sufficient.<\/p>\n<section class=\"hydra-container\">\n<div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"599\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-3.jpg?resize=800%2C599&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Making a half hitch\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-3.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-3-768x575.jpg 768w\">                <\/div><figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Make a half hitch.<\/span><br \/>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Jim Hatch<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Half Hitch<\/h2>\n<p>Make the half hitch by bending the bitter end of the line under itself to form a loop. Place the loop over the horn. Pull the tag end to snug it all up. The half hitch locks the cleat hitch in place and prevents the line from slipping. Remember that in strong wind or rough waves, the line will be \u00adstretching\u2014changing diameter\u2014and the boat or dock structure might be flexing and vibrating. These can all cause line that is seemingly secure to slip. So, please: Add the half\u00a0hitch.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read Next:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/gear\/three-choices-for-nonsnag-cleats\/\">Three Choices for Nonsnag Cleats<\/a><\/p>\n<section class=\"hydra-container\">\n<div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-4.jpg?resize=800%2C600&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"hydra-image\" alt=\"Dock line neatly tied off\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-4.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-4-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-QST-Cleat-4-768x576.jpg 768w\">                <\/div><figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">Be neat with any excess line.<\/span><br \/>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Jim Hatch<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Be Neat<\/h2>\n<p>Be neat with any \u00adexcess line. You don\u2019t have to flemish it into coil, but do take care to arrange it neatly and in a way that others on the dock won\u2019t trip over. If the cleat is vertical on a pole or pile, you can hang loops of excess line on the\u00a0cleat.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/how-to\/cleating-a-dock-line\/\">How to Cleat a Dock Line<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/\">Boating Mag<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    Rick Shackleton<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/how-to\/cleating-a-dock-line\/\">Go to boatingmag<\/a><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to Cleat a Dock Line I used to work with a former tugboat captain who taught me many things, including how to properly cleat a line. Walking the docks at the marina where we worked, he\u2019d spot incorrectly cleated lines and retie them properly. Naturally, under most conditions, the different ways of cleating off\u2014such [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[126,584,175,2561],"tags":[127],"class_list":["post-5081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boatingmag","category-docking","category-how-to","category-march-2025","tag-boatingmag"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5081"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5081\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}